WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team will look to continue its undefeated streak on Thursday, as the Eagles make the quick trip to Loyola Maryland for an 11:30 a.m. tipoff.

AU is on a five-game winning streak after closing its nonconference slate with a win over Penn State. The Eagles picked up victories in the first four Patriot League contests of the season to hit 4-0 in the conference and 11-4 overall. The Greyhounds enter the game off their first league win of the season after they topped Holy Cross on Monday, 77-60. That was only the third win of the season for Loyola (Md.), and first since November, as the team sits at 3-12 overall and 1-3 in the PL.

THE SERIES The Eagles lead the 23-game series against Loyola (Md.), 17-6. Loyola opened the series with a 107-60 win over AU in Baltimore during the 1976-77 season. The Eagles' longest win streak over Loyola was a nine-game run from 1977-1985.

AU hit a four-game win streak over the Greyhounds during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons before Loyola swept AU in the two games during the 2015-16 season. American returned the favor last year, beating the Greyhounds twice during the regular season.

AU closed its regular season home schedule with a 66-59 win over the Greyhounds last season (Feb. 25).

Head Coach Megan Gebbia is currently 6-2 against Army since she arrived at AU in 2013-14.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES American continued its undefeated stretch on Monday with a 64-46 win at Army West Point. Senior Emily Kinneston led AU with her fourth 20+ point game of the season (24) while junior Cecily Carl picked up her third double-double of the season (12 pts., 10 reb.)

Kinneston and Carl continue to be one of the strongest 1-2 punches in the league. Kinneston leads the team in scoring with 14.0 ppg (5.7 rpg) while Carl leads on the boards with 8.1 rpg (11.4 ppg).

AU boasts one of the strongest defenses in the PL, holding opponents to only 59.0 ppg (50.0 ppg in conference play). The Eagles continue to lead the league with only 13.3 turnovers per game and rank second with a 1.0 assist/turnover ratio.

American is averaging 63.3 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor, 30.6 percent from the perimeter. The Eagles are averaging 35.8 rpg.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS Loyola (Md.) is coming off its first conference win of the season, and first overall win since November, against Holy Cross on Monday, 77-60. Sophomore Stephanie Karcz led the team with her third-straight double-double (21 points, 19 rebounds), while freshmen Izzy Therien and Delaney Connolly added 18 points and 14 points, respectively.

Karcz leads the team across the board with 15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 2.5 apg. She is shooting 43.2 percent from the field. She is one of tgree players to average a double-double in th PL, and is the only player averaging a double-double in conference play (15.3 ppg, 15. rpg).

The Greyhounds are second in the league with 12.9 offensive rebounds per game. They are currently averaging 58.4 ppg to their opponents' 73.3 ppg, and are shooting 35.7 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from the perimeter.

#MidMajorTop25 The Eagles moved up to No. 18 on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 this week after they extended to five straight wins, including four in Patriot League play. American broke into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time on Jan. 2, landing at No. 25 in the national poll after the win over Colgate.

Navy is the only other PL school to hold a spot on the list at No. 23.

THE LAST TIME OUT AU registered its fifth consecutive win, fourth consecutive conference victory, against Army West Point on Monday, 64-46. This was the first AU win over Army since the 2014-15 season, and the first time the Eagles have beaten the Black Knights in West Point since 2012.

Senior Emily Kinneston led AU's overall scoring efforts, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season with a game-high 24 points. Junior Cecily Carl added her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Eagles shot 45.3 percent from the field (24-for-53) and 33.3 percent from the perimeter (5-for-15) while bringing down a season-high 48 rebounds. AU also picked up a season-high nine blocks behind a season-high four from Carl. Those nine blocks is the most for AU since the win over George Mason on Nov. 11, 2011.

The Eagles held Army to one of its lowest shooting percentages of the season at 27.5 percent from the floor (19-for-69).

AU gained a vital early advantage over the Black Knights, shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the perimeter to lead 21-16 after the first quarter.

The Eagles bumped up to a 10-point lead by halftime with a 17-12 second quarter, but Army closed the gap in the third with a 12-7 run, landing within one at 41-40 with 2:30 left in the stanza before a pair of baskets from sophomore TaeKenya Cleveland and Kinneston reopened the five-point gap.

AU regained momentum in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Black Knights 19-6 after holding them scoreless until the final four minutes of regulation. The Eagles closed shooting 57.1 percent shooting from the floor (8-for-14) after being held to 50 percent in the second quarter and only 21.4 percent in the third.

The Eagles will return home on Sunday, Jan. 14, to host Lehigh at 3 p.m. Tickets for this and all AU home basketball games can be purchased here.

For the latest on AU Women's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter @AU_WBasketball.